khatra خطرة
Algerian Darja · noun
“khatra” (خطرة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning time, occasion.
Meanings
- time, occasion
- sometimes (plural khatrat)
Usage
Khatra is the usual Algerian word for "time" (as in "once", "twice"). It is used in many expressions: wahd el khatra ("once"), kol khatra ("every time"), khatra okhra ("another time"), had el khatra ("this time"). With the number two, you say zoudj khatrat ("twice"). The plural khatrat, used on its own, means "sometimes". Do not confuse it with khtar ("to choose") or with the Standard Arabic adjective khatir ("dangerous"). The word is rather specific to Algeria, where it replaces marra in everyday use.
Example
كل خطرة نجي نلقاك راقد
kol khatra nji nelgak raged
“Every time I come, I find you asleep.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khatra” but also “kha6ra”, “5atra” and “khetra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch; 6 is emphatic ta (ط).